Electroproduction of the Λ(1520) hyperon

الأصل · EN

The reaction ep → e'K+Λ(1520) with Λ(1520) → p'K- was studied at electron beam energies of 4.05, 4.25, and 4.46 GeV, using the CLAS detector at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The cosθₖ₊, ϕₖ₊, Q², and W dependencies of Λ(1520) electroproduction are presented for the kinematic region 0.9 < Q² < 2.4 GeV² and 1.95 < W < 2.65 GeV. Also, the Q² dependence of the Λ(1520) decay angular distribution is presented for the first time. The cosθₖ₊ angular distributions suggest t-channel diagrams dominate the production process. Fits to the Λ(1520) t-channel helicity frame decay angular distributions indicate the mz=±1/2 parentage accounts for about 60% of the total yield, which suggests this reaction has a significant contribution from t-channel processes with either K+ exchange or longitudinal coupling to an exchanged K*. The Q² dependence of the Λ(1520) production cross section is the same as that observed for Λ(1116) photo- and electroproduction.